Slave Auctions - Charleston, SC
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 32° 46.629 W 079° 55.615
17S E 600497 N 3627091
Slave Auctions marker unveiled 2016
Waymark Code: WMY25C
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 04/05/2018
Views: 8
County of marker: Charleston County
Location of marker: East Bay St. & Gillon St., Old Exchange, Charleston
Marker erected: 2016
Erected by: The Old Exchange Building and Friends of the Old Exchange Building
Marker Text:
10 91
SLAVE AUCTIONS
Charleston was one of the largest slave trading cities in the U.S. In the 1800s, the area around the Old Exchange Building was one of the most common sites of downtown slave auctions. Along with real estate and other personal property, thousands of enslaved people were sold here as early as 1770s. Most auctions occurred just north of the Exchange, though some also took place inside. Merchant's also sold slave's at nearby stores on Broad, Chalmers, State, and East Bay Streets.
Continued on other side
Enslaved Africans were usually sold at wharves along the city harbor. Some Africans were sold near the Exchange, but most people sold here were born in the U.S., making this a key site in the domestic slave trade. In 1856, the city banned auctions of slaves and other goods from the Exchange. Indoor sales grew elsewhere, and Ryan's Mart, a complex of buildings between Queen and Chalmers streets, became the main downtown auction site.